Whitworth’s Christmas Festival Concerts are an indelible and vital part of the Whitworth experience, seamlessly weaving traditional carols, readings, and choral works into one highly anticipated performance. The 2013 Christmas Festival Concert will feature over 120 student performers, merging members of the Whitworth Choir, the Whitworth Women’s Choir, the Whitworth Men’s Chorus, and the Whitworth Chamber Singers.

Melanie Harder, ’14, a member of the Whitworth Choir and the Whitworth Chamber Singers, calls the show a “glorious finished product that not only touches audience members, but the performers themselves.”

Marc Hafso, director of the Whitworth Choir and the Whitworth Chamber singers, is in his eleventh year of heading the Christmas Festival Concert as the artistic director. He strongly encourages parents and their students to attend the concerts, especially if they haven’t done so already.

“It will help connect students and parents to what is being done in the music program, and will help them to get in the Christmas mood,” he says.

Even those who have attended in previous years should be sure to go again, since the Concert annually features new themes and narrations.

Hafso says, “This new theme is elevated through fresh music, and the different group of student performers sets it apart from each year before.”

Harder agrees with Marc’s assessment, saying, “Each festival is shaped by the new faces and dynamics that have joined the ensembles. The concerts themselves are an interaction with the audience, so the experience is one that is special and different every year.” She adds, “Some of the Spokane community members have said that Christmas would not be Christmas without these Whitworth Festival Concerts.”

Ultimately, Hafso believes that the performance offers something for everyone, with its “eclectic mix of strong text and music from various periods and genres.”

“If you have the opportunity available to attend, either in Seattle or Spokane, I would really encourage you to go, because you will experience Whitworth at it’s best. It truly is one of the greatest events presented by this university,” Hafso says.

The Christmas Festival Concert will take place in Seattle on Dec. 7-8 at 1st Presbyterian Church of Seattle. For Seattle tickets, please visit www.whitworth.edu/musictickets. The Spokane concerts are on Dec. 14-15 at Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox. Tickets are $18 regular admission, and $15 for students and seniors. For Spokane tickets, visit: www.ticketswest.com or call 800. 325.SEAT.